«It’s practically a slur at this point,» Azaria said on the character on a new podcast.
Hank Azaria, the White actor who famously voiced the controversial on «The Simpsons,» says he wants to apologize to «every single Indian person» for the character’s racist portrayal. The show, which has fueled racial stereotypes of Indian immigrants for decades through the Springfield Kwik-E-Mart owner, has faced backlash for years, heightened by the 2017 documentary, «The Problem with Apu.» Azaria felt the brunt of the backlash for voicing a person of color with a fake Indian accent. Speaking on Dax Shepard and Monica Padman’s podcast » Armchair Expert » on Monday, Azaria said that he spent time listening and learning about the character and his role in perpetuating racism before ultimately stepping away from the role. He said he «really didn’t know any better» before. He credited getting sober as an important factor in recognizing the damaging nature of the character and having the tools to address it.
